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IFOAM - Organics International

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International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) - Organics International
Formation1972
TypeNGO
HeadquartersGermany Bonn, Germany
Region served
Global
Membership
700+
Official language
English
President
Karen Mapusua
Executive Director
Ravi R. Prasad
Main organ
General Assembly
Staff
21
Websitewww.ifoam.bio

IFOAM – Organics International (formerly known as the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) is a worldwide organization advocating for organics, with over 700 affiliates in more than 100 countries and territories.[1]

History

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Rașit Pertev, Secretary of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, was a keynote speaker at the 2014 Organic World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey.

IFOAM – Organics International was started by the president of the French farmer organization Nature et Progrès, Roland Chevriot.[2] The process began on 05 November 1972, in Versailles, France, during an international organic agriculture congress organized by Nature et Progrès.[3][4]

There were five members at the congress representing different organizations including Lady Eve Balfour of the Soil Association of the United Kingdom, Kjell Arman of the Swedish Biodynamic Association, Pauline Raphaely of the Soil Association of South Africa, Jerome Goldstein of Rodale Press of the United States, and Roland Chevriot of Nature et Progrès of France.[4]

In the beginning, the name of the organization was the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. The founders envisioned that the federation would meet what they saw as a major need: a unified, organized voice for organic food and the diffusion and exchange of information on the principles and practices of organic agriculture across national and geographical boundaries. In 2015, the name changed to IFOAM - Organics International.[5]

On 19 October 1998, participants at the 12th Scientific Conference of IFOAM - Organics International issued the Mar del Plata Declaration, where more than 600 delegates from over 60 countries voted unanimously to exclude the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food production and agriculture. From that point onwards, GMOs have been categorically excluded from organic farming and denounced by the organic movement.

Structure

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Linda Bullard, former President of IFOAM - Organics International), Dr. Vandana Shiva, winner of the Right Livelihood Award, and Magda Aelvoet, Belgian Minister of State and former Health and Environment Minister, celebrate the landmark decision of the European Patent Office to uphold a decision to revoke in its entirety a patent on a fungicidal product derived from seeds of the Neem, a tree indigenous to the Indian subcontinent.

The GA of IFOAM – Organics International serves as the highest authority of the organization, and it elects the world board of the organization for a three-year term. The world board is a group of 10 people working voluntarily to guide the organization. In September 2021, Karen Mapusua from Fiji was elected as the president of the organization’s world board.[6][7]

The 2021 world board was elected by the GA of IFOAM — Organics International in September 2021, the first-ever digital one. The Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers Organizations (INOFO) is an autonomous self-organized structure within IFOAM — Organics International for organic farming organizations. The board appoints members to official committees, working groups, and task forces based on the recommendation of the membership of the organization.

Member organizations have established regional bodies including IFOAM Organics Asia, IFOAM Organics Europe, IFOAM AgriBioMediterraneo, IFOAM Southern African Network, IFOAM America Latina, IFOAM North America, IFOAM Euro-Asia, national groups including IFOAM France, IFOAM Iran and IFOAM Japan. Furthermore, IFOAM has established sectoral platforms[8] that include the IFOAM Organic Husbandry Alliance, IFOAM Apiculture Forum, IFOAM Aquaculture, Technology Innovation Platform of IFOAM and IFOAM Seeds Platform.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "About us - IFOAM". www.ifoam.bio.
  2. ^ A&E (2021-11-23). "Agriculture bio régénérative : le nouveau label tendance". Agriculture et Environnement (in French). Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  3. ^ Hub, IISD's SDG Knowledge. "FAO Launches Initiative to Scale Up Agroecology in Support of the SDGs | News | SDG Knowledge Hub | IISD". Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  4. ^ a b "Standards and Certification for Organic Products". Organic Boosting BIO. 2018-10-10. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  5. ^ Geier, B. (January 2007). "IFOAM and the history of the International Organic Movement". IFOAM and the history of the International Organic Movement. | Organic farming: an international history. pp. 175–186. doi:10.1079/9780851998336.0175. ISBN 9780851998336. Retrieved 2023-01-06. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Reddy, Navnesh (2021-09-22). "Fiji's Mapusua elected president of organic body". FijiTimes. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  7. ^ Actual, Bio Eco (2021-09-23). "New IFOAM - Organics International World Board elected for 2021-2024". Bio Eco Actual. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  8. ^ Dobson, Byron. "Campus Notes: TCC announces next cohort for its President's Leadership Institute". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  9. ^ "Eggert Schmidt mit Publikationen bei der DGfZ". Archived from the original on 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
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